Hood catch



-Nbvyl'l, 1930. 1 w. R. WILEY HOOD CATCH Filed May 10, 1928 -2 sheets sheet l lvwentoz 11952547)? 3 if??? W. R. WILEY HOOD CATCH Nov. 11, 1930.

Filed May 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I awuemtoz Patented W 11, 1930 PATENT OFFICE lVIIiLIAIMv B. WILEY, OE DETROIT, MICHIGAN HOOD CATCH.

Application filed May 10,

This invention relates to a hood catch for motor vehicles, and has for its object an improved organization of parts by means of which either one of the hingedly correlated panels constituting the side and top walls of a radiator hood may be locked in position and unlocked by a single handle-induced action,,

in place of the hitherto much more familiar use of two or more spring catches for each 1 side. These were objectionable, not only because of the necessity of their separate actuation, but in addition because practically all forms involve the use of a com ression spring, even the most carefully fa ricated articles of which type are likely to develop more or less of a rattling tendency.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of a side of a motor vehicle hood, showing the external handactuated portion of my improved construction in place.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevational View taken through the center of the knob or handle portion shown in Figure 1 along the line 22 of Figure 4, and looking in the direction of the arrows there shown.

Figure 3 is a planview partly, in section, looking from above.

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the inside face of the hood wall with the corresponding portions of my latching mechanism in place relatively thereto.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional elevation, showing my preferred means of rotatably journaling the rockable shaft upon the hood wall.

As regards the roekable deformed shaft portion of the improved apparatus herein illustrated, there is considerable resemblance between it and the disclosure of my former Patent No. 1,647,422, issued to me on November 1, 1927. In that construction, however, not only is more or less reliance placed upon an appreciable distortion of the deformed shaft in order to accentuate a snap action of the parts, but in that construction the actuating member shown is a vertically swinging lever, the outer end of which extends through the hood wall for manual actuation incident to the locking and unlocking. In the present 1928. Serial No. 276,769.

construction not only am 1 enabled to employ a shaft upon which little if any distorting strain must be imposed throughout its length but I am also enabled to substitute a rotatable knob or handle member for the swinging lever by which the'device is locked and unlocked, thereby contributing materially to in creased desirability both as to appearance and as to firmness of holding of the parts in their intended position.

A indicates the vehicle hood Wall, at suitable positions near the lower edge of which are positioned the journalin brackets B, which may be held in place relatively to the wall by means of the rivets B, as brought out particularly in Figure 5. The shaft C which is rotatably journaled in these brackets has its end portions D bent angularly for engagement with the correspondingly positioned anchorage brackets E, which are anchored to the vehicle chassis accordingly. The central portion of the shaft C is curved, as shown at F, so as to swing through the arc of a circle axially coincident with the undeformed portions of the shaft 0. Op-

- posite this curved portion F, on the outside of the hood wall, is positioned the handle or knob piece G, with such appropriate rosette contour for its stem as may be desired, and with a tubular portion H interiorly thereof which extends through the hood wall, terminating in a. threaded connection with the supporting base plate J of the immediately adjacent bracket pieces B. Within this tubular portion H rotatively engages the stem M of the handle or knob, and on its end is supported, as at K, a knuckled extension piece I, which constitutes an angular extension of the stem M. The outer end of this extension piece I rotatably engages within the adjacent end of the bifurcated connecting piece L. When the knob 0r handle G is so turned as to position this connecting member L in engagement with the center curved portion F of the shaft. the shaft must have-been thereby so rotated as to permit this central portion F to project substantially outward from the plane of the hood wall A, whereas one-quarter turn of the handle and its shaft to either the right or left will result in the connecting member L being then slid along this curved portion F until it approaches that portion thereof, near either end, where it joins the straight portion of the shaft C, and consequently, be cause of the knuckle connection between the rotatable stem M and the connecting piece L throwing the curved portion F of the shaft to a position approaching parallelism with the plane of the hood wall A. This swing, rotating the entire shaft C as it does, thus effects the operative engagement and disengagement of the anchored ends D of the shaft with and from the anchorage brackets E, thus effectively locking the entire hood wall panel in the lowered position, or quickly releasing it for raising in case access to the engine is desired. The entire locking and unlocking movement can be accomplished by a twist of the knob or handle through a relatively small are, and yet the engagement between its connecting piece L and the curved portion F and the shaft is at all times so uniform and reliable that all of the parts concerned are held against undesired rattling due to road inequalities and the like.

What I claim is:

1. In a hood catch, incombination with suitably positioned anchorage brackets, a plurally deformed shaft member whose end portions are adapted to be swung into oper-.

ative engagement with said brackets, and

whose central portion is contoured into substantially arcuate form, means for rotatably supporting said shaft on one face of a hood wall, and means for selectively effecting the rocking movement of said shaft, comprising a manually rotatable shaft member journaled in said hood wall in position of substantial perpendicularity to the general axial extent of said first named shaft, and passing through said hood at a point-substantially coincident with the center about which the arcuate contouring of the central deformed portion of the first named shaft extends, the inner end of said last named shaft being formed as an angularly disposed and terminally slotted radial arm within the terminal slot of which the central arcuately deformed section of the first named shaft member slidably engages, whereby manually effected rotation of said last named shaft member is translated into positively controlled partial rotation of said first named shaft in either direction, and the resultant desired engagement or disengagement of its end portions with the anchorage brackets.

2. In combination with a supporting hood wall and a plurally deformed shaft rotatably supported thereby in a position substantially parallel with the plane thereof, externally supported anchorage brackets with which the deformed end portions of said shaft are adapted 'to engage when the latter is rotatively actuated, the central portion of said shaft being bent to substantially the form of an arc lying in a common plane with the line of eneral direction of said shaft, and means for selectively effecting the desired axially rotative actuation of said deformed shaft, comprising a manually rotatable shaft member journaled in said hood wall in substantially perpendicular relation to the general axis of said deformed shaft ad acent the central arcuate portion thereof, and passing through said hood at a point substantially coincident with the center about which said are is described, the end of said last named shaft adjacent said deformed shaft carrying a laterally extending terminally slotted lever, within which slot the central arcuately formed portion of the first named shaft slidably engages, whereby the manually induced rotative movement of said lever is transmitted to the deformed lever to effect its rotative movement adequately to bring about the engagement and disengagement of its end portions with and from said anchorage brackets.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

WILLIAM R. WILEY. 

